Hands-on learning opportunities and a caring, supportive learning environment have been key to Mackenzie Chitwood’s success as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
From the time she was very young, Chitwood, a senior psychology major with an emphasis in human services at UW-Platteville and a Platteville native, knew that someday, she wanted to pursue a career in which she could help people. As she grew older, her career interest expanded to include study of the human mind and human behavior.
“I’ve always been a big advocate for mental health, and I’ve always wanted to help people,” she said. “Psychology seemed like the perfect career path for me.”
After initially pursuing early childhood special education at another institution and things not working out as planned, in November 2017, Chitwood moved back to her hometown and to UW-Platteville, where she knew she would receive an outstanding education, feel comfortable, and have smaller class sizes, opportunities to conduct undergraduate research and other hands-on learning experiences and the support she needed to be successful.
“I love the opportunities that UW-Platteville offers,” said Chitwood. “The coursework is interesting and challenging, and the small class sizes really benefit my ability to learn content and help foster relationships with my professors. I love how accessible and supportive they are.”
After she graduates from UW-Platteville this May, Chitwood plans to pursue a Master of Social Work at UW-Green Bay, where she was recently accepted. Following, she hopes to become a school social worker or work in macro social work to help make positive changes in policy.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with children and in the school district, which is why I’m drawn to school social work,” said Chitwood. “I’m also drawn to macro social work, as I can be an advocate for social justice on a larger scale.”
Hands-on learning experiences
Chitwood is confident that she will be well prepared for school social work or macro social work, thanks to the rigorous coursework and hands-on learning opportunities she has had during her academic career at UW-Platteville. These experiences allowed her to gain critical knowledge and expertise that will make her more marketable to future employers and enable her to excel in her chosen field.
When she returned to Platteville in 2018, Chitwood began volunteering as a teacher’s aide at Westview Elementary School in Platteville. As an aide, she tutored students in 4K-4th grade classrooms and worked one-to-one with children in special education. In addition, during the 2018-19 school year, she taught an enrichment class for third- and fourth-graders on how to write graphic novels.
“I loved working with the children and felt passionate about helping them,” she said. “This experience enabled me to develop skills in leadership and teaching, which will be helpful in my future career.”
This past fall, as part of the Cooperative Field Experience course, Chitwood had another hands-on opportunity: she interned at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dubuque (Iowa), a nonprofit organization that provides area youth in first through twelfth grades programs promoting health, social, education, culture, leadership and character development as well as a safe place to hang out after school and eat dinner every night.
Working under the direction of Molly Casey, director of Social and Educational Programs at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dubuque, Chitwood helped plan activities and partnered with other organizations so children could experience and participate in activities with the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, weekly yoga classes and volunteering. She loved that there were many events in which they could give back to the children.
“I really enjoyed being able to participate in the club’s larger events, such as their holiday shopping night, which gave about 65 kids $130 each to purchase new clothes, coats, hats, really whatever they needed for the winter season,” she said. “My favorite part of the internship was getting to know and interact with these kids on a daily basis. The experience helped me develop skills in planning, leadership and problem solving, which will be helpful in my future career.”
“Mackenzie is a very mature and well-rounded person who has a genuine interest in helping others,” said Casey. “During her internship at the Boys and Girls Club, she used her skills to help the kids who needed it the most, including teaching them problem-solving skills.”
“I’ve always admired Mackenzie's willingness to get out of her comfort zone and take chances, which is exactly what she did in her internship with the Boys and Girls Club of Dubuque,” said Dr. Elizabeth Gates, chair of the Department of Psychology at UW-Platteville and Chitwood’s advisor. “She has a genuine interest in working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds and has a bright future ahead for herself.”
Beginning this past fall and continuing this spring, as part of two Behavioral Research courses required for the psychology major, Chitwood has yet another hands-on learning opportunity: she and a classmate are conducting a behavioral research project on how adverse childhood experiences affect emotion regulation. The project will involve conducting an experiment on students enrolled in general psychology classes, collecting and analyzing the data, then writing a manuscript about their research. At the end of the spring semester, all of the students in the course will present their research at the Behavioral Research II Research Symposium in the Markee Pioneer Student Center at UW-Platteville.
“I am thankful for the chance to take these in-depth courses and conduct my own behavioral research project, as not all college campuses have this requirement for their students,” said Chitwood. “It’s made me feel more than prepared for graduate school and for research I’ll do in the future. It’s also allowed me to develop great collaboration and critical thinking skills.
“All of the hands-on experiences I have had were valuable,” added Chitwood. “They helped me apply what I learned from previous classes as well as expand on that knowledge. They really prepared me for my future and for graduate school.”
Caring, supportive learning environment
Like most people, Chitwood has faced challenges that helped make her the person she is today.
“When I first went away to college, I felt isolated and ended up dropping out of school after my third semester,” she said. “Since then, I’ve worked a lot on myself and my own self-growth. It felt good to transfer to UW-Platteville, come back to my hometown, and keep working hard on myself and at school. All of my teachers have been very understanding and supportive.”
Chitwood said that these personal experiences, no matter how difficult, changed her in a positive way.
“I appreciate what I have and the opportunities I’ve been given,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot about myself and it’s taught me to work hard. These experiences have also directed me towards my goals and what I’m hoping to do in the future. More than anything, I want to be happy in what I choose to do, and I want to help have a positive impact on the lives of others.”